Railway axle box oil and dust seal



Oct. 23, 1962 1 J, HENNESSY 3,059,938

RAILWAY AXLE BOX OIL AND DUST SEAL 3,959,938 RAILWAY AXLE EUX @1L AND DUST SEAL James J. Hennessy, Chambersburg, Pa., assigner to Hennessy Lubricator Company, Inc., Chambersburg, Pa., a corporation of Deiaware Fiied Dee. 19, 1958, Ser. No. 781,588 4 Claims.. (C1. 277-1311) The invention relates to oil and dust guard devices for railway rolling stock journal boxes of the Association of American Railroads (AAR.) type, and the main object of the invnetion is to etectively seal the annular space between the walls of the dust guard and the portion of the railway axle passing through lthe same, irrespective of the play of the axle relative to the box lengthwise of the axle and transversely of the axle.

This application is a continuation-in-part of an application filed February 6, 195 8, Serial No. 713,591, and, as disclosed in the earlier application, the guard includes inner, outer and intermediate plate-like members apertured to receive an axle, the intermediate member being slidable over the outer members transversely of the aperture axes and being provided on its inner periphery with normally inturned wiping edges and ltabs of sufcient fiexibility to t closely against the axle periphery irrespective of normal variations in the diameter of the axle or the member apertures.

In addition to the axle contacting structure of the earlier application, the present device has novel `sealing contact with the peripheral side and bottom walls of the dust guard pocket in the journal box, as distinguished from having a sealing contact with one or both of the transverse end walls of the pocket as has been used in earlier guards. 'Ihis avoids the necessity of using springs of substantial tension to force a wide face on the dust guard against the pocket end Wall and makes the application of the dust guard to the journal box, and its removal therefrom, much easier and facilitates making the dust guard of thin, relatively lightweight plastic sheet material instead of relatively heavy steel plates, which is an economical advantage. Also the plastic material has unexpected flexing and wear-resisting characteristics particularly advantageous in sealing the journal and box against passage of oil and dust. The attainment of these specific advantages is a further ldetailed object of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective of a cutway box and guard mounted on an associated axle.

FIGURE 2 is a vetrical section through the box and guard shown in FIGURE 1, the intermediate portion of the structure being broken away to make possible the showing on a larger scale.

FIGURE 3 is a transverse section of a journal box, approximately on line 3--3 of FIGURE 2, with the guard in place but before the journal has been inserted through the guard.

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal section on line 4--4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a relative position of the dust guard and axle when the latter has shifted to the right, from the position shown in FIGURE 2, as occurs during normal operation.

The axle has a wheel seat 1 for the wheel 2 and a journal 3 supporting a bearing 4 which mounts a wedge 5 on which the box is carried. Between the axle portions 1 and 3 is the guard opposing portion or seat 7 of greater diameter than the journal and less diameter than the wheel seat. The journal box includes the usual top wall 9, bottom wall 10, side Walls 11 and dust guard pocket end walls 12 and 13. All #the above mentioned elements are familiar A.A.R. standard structure.

Sbgfi Patented Oct. 23, 1%62 The guard is inserted downwardly through the open top of the pocket and consists of a body comprising rear and front members 15, 17, having a contour substantially tting the perimetric walls of the pocket, formed by the box bottom and side walls 10, 11, and an intermediate member 14 slidable over members 15, 17 transversely of the longitudinal axis of the journal. Members 1S, 17 are formed preferably of stiII plastic sheet material. Front member 17 has a right angle rim 18 around its periphery. A strip 20 of compressible packing extends along the side and lower edges of rim 13 and is secured thereto by staples Z2. Strip 20 overlies the corresponding edges of intermediate member 14 and includes a radially projecting bead 24 arranged for sealing contact with the perimetric walls of the dust guard pocket in the box. It may or may not contact with box wall 13 when compressed. The upper end 26 of rear member 15 is bent over rim 18 of the front member and is secured thereto by staples 28 which also pass through a strip of: felt 30 which extends between the pocket walls 12 and 13 and forms a seal therewith. A closure 31 may be inserted in the pocket over seal 30.

Body members 15, 17 and intermediate member 14 have central apertures through which the axle journal 3 and dust guard seat 7 may pass. In body members 15, 17 the apertures are substantially larger in diameter than the axle guard seat 7 and the axle may move freely transversely of its axis `without contacting the peripheries of the apertures.

The outside diameter of the intermediate member 14 is substantially less than the width of the front and rear members so that the intermediate member may slide over the opposing faces of the front and rear members as the axle shifts transversely of its axis. Guard members 141, 15, 17 are made of a plastic material sold under the trade name Zytel which possesses exceptional characteristics for resisting wear from friction and, when in sheet form, for resiliently returning to an original plane after repeated flexing. This is particularly desirabie for the intermediate member which comprises an outer ring 32 and an inner ring 33 connected by an osetting shoulder 34. The inner periphery of ring 33 (FIGURE 3) forms a plurality of triangle-shaped tabs 36 with points 37 projecting toward the axis of the aperture in their normal undistorted condition. These tabs are thinner than the remainder of the insert but have reinforcing ridges 33 extending from near the outer points of the triangles to near the inner bases of the triangles. Accordingly, when the axle is thrust through the apertures in the guard, tabs 36 bend readily about their thin wide bases and distort to the position shown in FiGURES 1 .and 2 where they lie along dust guard seat 7 parallel to the axis of the axle and the guard apertures and project to the left of the plane of ring 32. At the side of the ring portion 33 opposite to the distorted tabs is a continuous thin annulus 39 which contacts dust guard seat 7 irrespective of wear of the latter.

The thicker elements 32, 33, 34 are stift" enough that the insert moves with the axle as the latter shifts transversely of its axis and the insert slides over body members 1S, 17. The oiisetting shoulder-like portion 34 may yield slightly to accommodate iitting of the bases of tabs 36 to the axle dust guard seat 7 and to accommodate minor movement of the .axle transversely of its axis without thereby distorting the tabs Vwhich wipe surplus oil from the dust guard seat 7. The outer ring portion 33 may yield transversely of its plane to accommodate slight shifting of the axle lengthwise. The oil is held against escaping from the journal box pocket by the seal provided through bead 24 which engages the perimetric Wall of the pocket but does not rely upon horizontal pressure contact with either of the pocket rear walls to form a seal.

ing movements of the journal.

FIGURE 5 shows a relative position of the dust guard and the end of the dust guard seat 7, somewhat exaggerated, which is assumed repeatedly during the axially shift- The resilient outer ends of the tabs tend to return to the plane of inner ring 33 and this insures the wiping of surplus oil from the corner of the axle, which ordinarily ,acts as a throwolf point for discharge of oil. ln this position (FGURE 5) the major portion of the guard is still to the right of the shoulder between axle portions 7 and 3, and it is easy for the tabs to be drawn back to the position shown in FIGURE 2 when the axle shifts in the opposite direction. This avoids undesirable transverse forces on the intermediate member ring 32 and a tendency to twist it as the axle reciprocates.

Rivets 40 extend between front and rear members 15, 17 and are received in notches 41 in the outer periphery of ring 32 and hold the intermediate member against rotation with the axle.

If desired, the journal box may be removed from the axle without withdrawing the dust and oil guard from the pocket in the box. This is because the elements 33, 34, 36, will yield as they pass over the collar (not shown) at the outer end of the journal in both off and on movements without damage to the ring.

The improved structure described above provides a more eicient and longer lasting guard than previously used, seals the lubricant from leakage to and beyond box wall 13, and attains the objectives set forth in the introductory portion of the specication.

Details of the structure may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

I claim:

l. An oil and dust seal fora railway axle and axle box comprising a body with front and rear plate-like members each having an edge contour adapting its edge to contact with the perimetrc Walls of an axle box dust guard pocket, and an intermediate member of less width and depth than said front and rear members and slidable bodily over the opposing faces of the latter, each of said members having an aperture to receive an axle, the apertures in the body members being of substantially greater diameter than the diameter of the axle portion to which the seal is to be applied, the aperture in the intermediate member being of smaller diameter than the diameter of the axle portion to which the seal is to be applied, and the portion of the intermediate member forming the margin of the periphery of said latter aperture being of thinner material than the major portion of the intermediate member and being yieldingly distortable to a position normal to the general plane of the intermediate member when subjected to thrust by .an axle inserted through the member apertures and including a series of saw tooth-like tabs normally pointed toward the axis of the aperture but distortable into positions substantially paralleling said axis and projecting transversely from the plate-like members and yieldable transversely of said axis to maintain contact with the axle portion by its own resiliency to wipe surplus lubricant from the adjacent axle surface toward the bearing engaging surface of the journal.

2. An oil and dust seal for a railway axle and axle box, comprising a stiff plate-like body having a contour adapting the body to t within the perimetric Walls of an axle box dust guard pocket, said body being provided with an aperture large enough to accommodate substantial movement, diametrically of the aperture, of au axle passing through the aperture, and a plate-like member comprising an outer ring portion, slidable over the face of said body, and a smaller diameter ring portion offsest transversely of the general plane of said outer ring portion and normally parallel to the latter and provided with an aperture with serrations about its periphery forming inwardly pointed wiping tabs resiliently distortable to extend axially of the aperture to snugly engage an axle passed through both of said apertures and to wipe surplus oil from the axle and to incline over the corner on the axle between its journal and its dust guard seat.

3. An oil and dust seal for a railway axle and axle box according to claim l in which the tooth-like projections, when distorted, project a substantial distance beyond the plane of the outer ring member and are deep enough to be inclined toward the aperture axis and diagonally overlie the edge of a shoulder in the axle.

4. An oil and dust seal for a railway axle and axle box comprising a body with front and rear plate-like members each having an edge contour adapting its edge to contact with the perimetric walls of an axle box dust guard pocket, and an intermediate member of less Width and depth than said front and rear members and slidable bodily over the opposing faces of the latter, each of said members having an aperture to receive an axle, the apertures in the body members being of substantially greater diameter than the diameter of the axle portion to which the seal is to be applied, the aperture in the intermediate member being of smaller diameter than the diameter of the axle portion to which the seal is to be applied, and the portion of the intermediate member forming the margin of the periphery of said latter aperture being of thinner material than the major portion of the intermediate member and being yieldingly distortable to a position normal to the general plane of the intermediate member when subjected to thrust by an axle inserted through the member apertures, the body front and rear members being of rigid material and there being a strip of material extending along the side and bottom edges of said body and compressible between said edges and the perimetric walls of the pocket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,811,588 Moreau June 23, 1931 1,989,110 Penniman Ian. 29, 1935 2,012,974 Penniman Sept. 3, 1935 2,103,555 Rowe Dec. 28, 1937 

